FORT PAYNE HIGH SCHOOL
Parent/Student Handbook

 

2022-2023

 Fort Payne High School

201 45th Street NE

Fort Payne, Alabama 35967

Phone: 256-845-0535

Fax: 256-845-7868

 

Mission Statement

The mission of the Fort Payne High School Community is to prepare and empower students for both college and career in a 21st century learning environment and to ensure students will become responsible and successful citizens, workers, and leaders in our community, city, state, and nation.

 

Vision Statement

Because today’s schools shape tomorrow’s workforce, our vision is to create a community of life-long learners focused on continuous improvement.

 

Belief Statements

• We believe students, parents, faculty, staff, and community members are accountable and responsible for advancing the school's mission.
• We believe it is important for students to develop positive character traits which promote personal responsibility and accountability.
• We believe all students can learn and must take an active and responsible role in the learning process.
• We believe it is essential for students to attend school every day in a safe, secure, and supportive learning environment.
• We believe it is essential for students to attend school every day in a safe, secure, and supportive learning environment where teachers have high expectations for all students and where students have an active role in their education through both extra-curricular and academic activities.

Fort Payne High School Contact Information

 

High School Office: 256-845-0535

FPHS Cafeteria: 256-845-4539

 

Position                                            School Staff                                     E-Mail Address       

Principal                                              Patrick Barnes                                  pbarnes@fpcsk12.com 

Assistant Principal                              Jeff Boatwright                                  jboatwright@fpcsk12.com

Assistant Principal                              Steve Sparks                                    ssparks@fpcsk12.com

Assistant Principal                              Jackie Jennings                                jjennings@fpcsk12.com

Bookkeeper                                         Carol Hazell                                      chazell@fpcsk12.com  

School Secretary                                 Kelly Vezertzis                                  kvezertzis@fpcsk12.com

Guidance Counselor                            Kala Kirby                                        kkirby@fpcsk12.com

Guidance Counselor                            Amanda Varnadore                         avarnadore@fpcsk12.com

Guidance Secretary                            Jeri Weatherly                                  jweatherly@fpcsk12.com

School SRO                                        Patrick Jenkins                                 pjenkins@fpcsk12.com

Librarian                                              Amy Fischer                                     afischer@fpcsk12.com  

School Nurse                                      Kelly Ellis                                          kellis@fpcsk12.com

STUDENT GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

A student or parent who feels the need to discuss a problem with a teacher is encouraged to do so.  If the problem is not resolved, an appointment with the Principal may be requested.

AFFIRMATIVE ENROLLMENT IN VOCATIONAL CLASSES

Student enrollment in vocational courses will be determined based on student interest and career plans without regard to race, religion, sex or disability.

NON-DISCRIMINATION

It is the policy of the Fort Payne City Board of Education not to discriminate on the basis of sex, handicap, religion, creed, national origin, race, color or age in its educational programs, activities, or employment policies as required by Federal Regulation.

 

ACADEMIC AWARDS

Awards and Honors involving academic averages will be based on academic courses only.  These awards include valedictorian, salutatorian, Junior Marshals, and National Honor Society.   To be considered for these awards, juniors must have taken or be taking twelve (12) academic courses; seniors must have taken or be taking sixteen (16) academic courses. The Presidential Academic Fitness award is given to seniors with a 4.0 Grade Point Average.

 

Valedictorian and salutatorian are determined at the end of the first term of the senior year.  If the average is within one thousandth to fifty thousandth of a point consideration may be given to number of academic courses completed and the time when the courses are completed.  The end result may be that a tie will be declared.  Academic courses are defined as follows: English, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, and Foreign Language. Class standings will be computed only for the determination of awards, for admission to college, etc.  Cumulative GPA will be determined at the end of each term and printed on report cards.  In order to be eligible for Valedictorian or Salutatorian a student must have been enrolled at Fort Payne High School for three consecutive terms beginning their junior year.  The student must have earned a minimum of 12 credits or 10 credits if enrolled in dual enrollment classes from Fort Payne High School by the end of the first term of their Senior Year. Grades earned in a Home School or school not accredited by the State Department of Education will not be considered in determining Valedictorian, Salutatorian or other academic awards.

 

PROVIDING INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT RESULTS IN A LANGUAGE THAT PARENTS CAN UNDERSTAND

Fort Payne High School will provide individual academic achievement results and interpretation of the results in a language that the parent can understand at the parent’s request. For additional information regarding this subject please contact your school Guidance Counselor.

TRANSFER OF CREDIT

The Fort Payne City Board of Education wishes to provide a fair and equal method of transferring credits to the schools in the Fort Payne City System.  The following procedures will be used in determining the transfer of credits from State Department accredited, non-accredited and Home school settings.

 

TRANSFER FROM ACCREDITED SCHOOLS

A student transferring to a school in the Fort Payne City system from a public or non-public school accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Alabama State Board of Education will have all credits and current class/grade placement accepted without validation upon the receipt of an official transcript(s) from the sending school.

 

TRANSFERS FROM NON-ACCREDITED SCHOOLS/SCHOOL SETTING(S)

Any school/school setting not accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Alabama State Department of Education shall be considered a non-accredited school for the purpose of transfer of class/grade credit.

To transfer credits and/or determine the appropriate class/grade placement of a student transferring to a school in the Fort Payne City School System from a non-accredited school/school setting, the following procedures shall be implemented by the receiving school:

1. Credit for all elective courses shall be transferred without validation.
2. Credit for core courses (i.e., English, mathematics, science, and social studies) shall be transferred as follows:
   1. Using all records (i.e., official transcripts notarized statements of credits) and any nationally standardized test available, the principal or his designee shall determine the student’s appropriate placement and notify the student and his parent(s)/guardians).
   2. If the parent(s)/guardian(s) agree with the placement decision, the student shall be assigned to the classes and/or grade agreed upon.
3. Contested credit for core courses (i.e., English, mathematics, science, and social studies) shall be transferred as follows:
   1. If the parent(s)/guardian(s) disagree with the placement decision, the principal or his/her designee shall supervise the administration of the school’s most recent semester or term exam for each prerequisite core course in which the parent/guardian is requesting enrollment starting with the 9^th grade exams. For each test the student passes as determined by the school grading scale, the student shall be placed in the next level core course and credit shall be transferred for prerequisite courses.
   2. For any test the student fails, his/her placement shall be as originally recommended by school officials and no credit is transferred for the pre-requisite course in that subject.
4. In the event of controversial records/transcripts and/or the absence of any official or notarized records/transcripts, the student shall take placement tests consisting of the school’s previous semester/term exams for core courses starting with 9^th grade courses if in high school. If below the ninth grade, the test may start two grade levels below the “age appropriate” grade for the child.
5. All students will be given the opportunity to take the ACT during the spring semester of their junior year.
6. Except in case of a bona fide change of residence or other circumstances equally valid for making an exception, a student is not eligible to graduate from Fort Payne High School unless he/she has been in continuous attendance therein during the entire high school year immediately preceding the date of graduation. If enrollment is approved by the Superintendent of Education or Board of Education of a twelfth-grade student who wishes to become a candidate for graduation at the end of the year, Fort Payne High School will require approval in writing of the transfer and the student’s candidacy for graduation from the principal of the school from which the student has withdrawn.  The letter of approval together with any necessary memoranda should be filed with the transcript of the student’s record from the discharging school.  A student meeting the requirements for graduation and in good standing in the school he/she left will not be required to take additional credit(s) at Fort Payne High School, but must meet the remaining requirement for Graduation at Fort Payne High School.  In case of doubt as to procedure or appropriate action in such cases, either or both of the principals of the schools concerned should discuss the matter with the SDE.
7. Grades earned in a Home School or school not accredited by the State Department of Education will not be considered in determining Valedictorian, Salutatorian or other academic awards.

ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY

All traditional and non-traditional students at Fort Payne High School will follow the rules and regulations set forth by the Alabama High School Athletic Association, the National Federation of High Schools, local board policy and athletic handbook policies. You may refer to the following website for policies from the AHSAA: http://www.ahsaa.com/

HIGH SCHOOL INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM

Fort Payne High School provides approximately 1,000 students with the opportunities to develop academic, personal, social, and career awareness through a comprehensive curriculum. The goal of the Fort Payne City School System is to prepare each student to be college and career ready as he/she graduates from high school.

Students entering high school have the opportunity to select a course of study based on their career interests. Some restrictions may apply to the selection of a curriculum based on the academic performance and ability of a student as well as the availability of particular courses.

The College Preparatory curriculum provides students the opportunity to take advanced courses in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and foreign languages. This curriculum consists of Honors Classes, Advanced Placement (AP), Dual Enrollment (DE) courses, and Early College. The Early College, Dual Enrollment and AP courses allow students to complete college level studies while in high school. These students have excelled in high school, have a high interest in the subject area, and are college bound. Students are encouraged to request the academic requirements for admission from the colleges they wish to attend. This will help to provide a guide for students when choosing Dual Enrollment, Advanced Placement and Early College courses.

The Career Tech Preparatory curriculum prepares students for advanced courses required by two-year technical, community colleges, and four-year colleges through a blending of traditional academics and technical courses. This program is designed to be as academically challenging as College Prep while ensuring that students are properly prepared to meet the demands of technical schools, two or four-year colleges/universities, and/or the technical job market. Articulated college credit may be issued in many career technical classes if a student makes a grade of 85 or higher. (Students may apply for articulated credit upon enrollment at a junior college.) Courses listed in our Course Catalog are included in a comprehensive list of all courses taught in the Fort Payne City School System. Additional courses may be offered through ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide), Northeast Alabama Community College or other virtual learning providers. Information about virtual learning opportunities can be obtained at the school. If a student opts to take a virtual course for which an equivalent course is available at the school, he/she will be responsible for any textbook or other fees that may be involved in the course.

BLOCK SCHEDULE

Fort Payne High School functions on a four-block day which is a schedule based on four (95 minute) classes per day along with an advisory block. The school may exercise some flexibility to accommodate certain situations with student schedules.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS